Dawgs Power Past Tommies For Win Headed Into the Break

Mendota Heights, MN. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team powered past the St. Thomas Tommies 4-2 for a Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) victory on Saturday (Dec. 17) to head into the brief holiday break moving up in the standings.

Ferris State got a two-point night out of co-captain and senior defenseman Brenden MacLaren, including the game-winning goal, while sophomore goaltender Noah Giesbrecht picked up his second assist in goal and made 34 saves in goal.

The Tommies jumped out in front at 16:25 of the first period when Matthew Jennings scored for a 1-0 lead on the rush.

Early in the second period, Ferris State replied when junior forward Stepan Pokorny finessed his defender one-on-one to the high slot before launching a wrister past UST goaltender Aaron Trotter to tie the game at 1-1 at 1:06 of the second period. The goal was Pokorny's sixth of the season and second of the weekend, while junior forward Antonio Venuto picked up his third assist of the campaign. 

St. Thomas responded going back up a goal on the power play when Jake Braccini scored on a one-timer from the right circle at 6:52 for a 2-1 Tommies lead.

Late in the second period, Ferris State evened the game again at 13:27 when junior forward Mitch Deelstra finished off a backhander on the rush one-on-one high to the glove side for his third goal of the year. The goal tied the game at 2-2 as MacLaren earned his seventh assist of they year on the goal for the Bulldogs.

In the third period, Ferris State senior forward Cade Kowalski got in on a breakaway and put his chance off the left goal post. The puck rebounded to MacLaren who had an open net, where he parked the eventual game-winning goal at 8:16 of the final frame for his second goal of the year. Kowalski earned his first assist of the year while freshman forward Caiden Gault earned his second helper of the year on the play for a 3-2 Bulldog lead.

Ferris State killed off a late penalty and with the puck behind the Bulldog net, Giesbrecht managed to connect with sophomore forward Brad Marek, who fired a rolling puck 160 feet into the empty St. Thomas goal for his fifth goal of the year at 18:59 of the third period. Giesbrecht earned his second assist of the year for the Bulldogs. 

The Tommies won the shots battle 36-26, while the Bulldogs owned the faceoff dot 37-29. In goal, Trotter took the loss on 22 saves. St. Thomas went 1-4 on the power play while Ferris State went 0-2.

The Bulldogs moved up a spot to fifth in the CCHA standings, and are within a weekend series worth of points of the three teams ahead of them. Ferris State has two games in hand on all three teams directly in front of them.

Ferris State breaks briefly for the holiday before returning to action at the 57th Annual Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) at Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday (Dec. 27-28). Ferris State opens the GLI Semi-Final against Michigan State at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday the 27th.